Let's Do Lunch.....Leadership and Career Growth in Silicon Valley » Career Development

“I” and “Me” vs. “Us” and “We” Leadership

Devin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:54:24 +0000

When I first started managing people someone told me to shift from the pronouns “I” and “Me” and start focusing on “Us” and “We”. Words that we use often define the way we think and the subsequent approaches that we take to solving problems. The only reason that leaders and managers exist is because . . . → Read More: “I” and “Me” vs. “Us” and “We” Leadership

Is the Job Market Beginning to Turn Around?

Devin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:06:53 +0000

The job market has been dismal for a couple of years now and job seekers have become weary and have even stopped looking. Fortunately, over the last quarter there has been a large increase in job postings. I have several friends and colleagues that have decided its time for a change and have been . . . → Read More: Is the Job Market Beginning to Turn Around?

The Plural of Anecdote is Not Data

Devin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:47:15 +0000

The most common corporate buzzwords that I’ve been hearing over the last year are “transformation and “disrupt”. Companies are focusing on how to create a competitive advantage in this tough economic downturn. Markets have been shrinking during this 22 month recession and any advantage must come from focusing on business infrastructure in the reduction of capital . . . → Read More: The Plural of Anecdote is Not Data

Death By PowerPoint

Devin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:12:14 +0000

We’ve all sat through long presentations that left us wondering how to get that fraction of our lives back. You know, those “FYI” presentations that are often more self aggrandizing than informative. During this economic downturn, I have seen an increased number of internal company business communications that have made me wonder who the . . . → Read More: Death By PowerPoint

Does PowerPoint inhibit decision making?

Devin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:00:26 +0000

I chuckled when I read “Speaking Truth to PowerPoint” in the Wall Street Journal this morning. Business has grown to rely heavily on PowerPoint as a primary communications medium. Unfortunately, details are lost because the nature of presentation slides is summarization. I depth business planning requires a format that is conducive to thoughtful . . . → Read More: Does PowerPoint inhibit decision making?

The Pecha Kucha Experiment

Devin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:31:56 +0000

When I first heard about the modified Pecha Kucha exercise that I was invited to participated in (see Pecha Kucha on Summer Vacation) I wondered “what kind of nonsense is this?”. I first had to look on Wikipedia to figure out what it was. I’m not one for gimmicks, and this seemed like . . . → Read More: The Pecha Kucha Experiment

Pecha Kucha on Summer Vacation

Devin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:12:18 +0000

I was invited to a pot luck dinner with other industry leaders and the host organized a very clever group activity that was a lot of fun. The invitation said that we would each be doing a modified and shortened Pecha Kucha that will consist of 2 to 4 slides with a couple of things . . . → Read More: Pecha Kucha on Summer Vacation

The Purpose and Importance of Your Resume

Devin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:20:09 +0000

I saw a great article in the Wall Street Journal that I wanted to highlight, “Fine-Tuning Your Resume for Maximum Impact“. It really focuses on the important aspects of your resume. I’ve been thinking a lot about this because I’ve spent a lot of time looking at resumes over the last 2 months and helping . . . → Read More: The Purpose and Importance of Your Resume

The Wacky Job Market

Devin — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:43:11 +0000

The economy seems to have stopped its free fall and is wallowing at a bottom. Individual savings has increased as a percentage of earnings and the housing market looks like its begun to stabilize. Unfortunately, credit has not been as readily available as the government policies have promised and businesses are not expanding their . . . → Read More: The Wacky Job Market

The Misunderstood Role of Product Manager

Devin — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:15:19 +0000

Product Management is often an under appreciated skill in large companies. Organizational structures are built around product delivery and support. Early in a company’s life the definition of products allow for economic survival. As a company grows more cross-functional organizations try to have greater impact on product definition so that they can perform their functions more . . . → Read More: The Misunderstood Role of Product Manager